Arabic version: أوهارا يقول أمام هيئة مكافحة الفساد إنه ارتكب خطأً في فصيل ليبرالي

According to ABC News, hotelier Michael O’Hara told the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption he made a “mistake” in trusting figures linked to a conservative Liberal Party faction. O’Hara is the first key witness in the Operation Rosny inquiry, which is slated to run for eight weeks.

The inquiry is examining whether O’Hara, described by the commission as a prohibited donor, made political donations that were not declared and exceeded applicable donation caps. It is alleged that a company, Paslibdan Pty Ltd, was used to make donations disguised as consultancy payments to help stack the Liberal Party with conservative members.

Counsel Assisting the Commission Peggy Dwyer SC questioned O’Hara about invoices and emails concerning payments to companies linked to Christian Ellis and Jean-Claude Perrottet. The material referred to “strategic wealth strategy investment advice”. O’Hara maintained that he believed the arrangement was intended to advance his conservative values within the party.

O’Hara said he was “absolutely astounded” and “disgusted” by allegations aired at the commission involving the NSW Reformers, a conservative Christian Liberal factional group associated with Ellis and Perrottet. He said he had believed they were good people, adding: “I made a mistake in supporting them because they obviously went off the track.” Former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet referred the allegations to ICAC in 2022 and is not accused of wrongdoing.